Of course, there’s one small problem. The Alabama Education Association is suing to keep the school from opening.

LEAD Academy has the proper approvals from the State Charter School Commission and plans to open its doors this fall, but the lawsuit could delay that.

I wrote a little bit yesterday about how AEA’s entry into the struggle for Montgomery Public Schools has political risks. My basic point was that, with so many problems going on in Montgomery schools, standing in the way of those trying to fix the problems looks pretty bad. I think those political/public relations risks for AEA just went up with this announcement.

It’s just surprising because Trump’s opposition to TPP was second only to his hardline immigration stance as setting the foundation for his presidential campaign.

Seriously, this is almost like the president saying we don’t need to build a wall after all.

He had a lot of help from then-Senator Jeff Sessions and, more specifically, Sessions aide Stephen Miller, who worked with Steve Bannon and Breitbart to whip up opposition to TPP back in 2015.

What’s TPP

Back in 2008, President George W. Bush announced the United States’ intent to join and begin to lead the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a trade agreement among 11 nations surrounding the Pacific Ocean.

The idea was to form mutually-beneficial trade relationships with countries from South America to Asia, all while blocking out China from further growing its manufacturing and agricultural influence.

After years of negotiations, the United States left Japan, Australia, Canada, Chile, New Zealand and all the other TPP countries at the altar. Fear-monger politics put the proposal on life support in Congress, and then President Trump delivered the final death knell last year by officially withdrawing our country’s participation.

Why it matters

This is about China. Sure, a trade agreement with Pacific Rim countries is good for a lot of reasons: it helps agriculture, we could crack down on intellectual theft, etc.

But joining and leading TPP would allow the U.S. to put enormous pressure on China to act right WITHOUT having to levy tariffs that also hurt American businesses and consumers.

Instead of going head-to-head with China in a trade war, we could leverage the economic influence of 11 other nations China wants to do business with to bring the Chinese to heel.

Better late than never, I suppose. Let’s just hope the other member countries don’t act like jilted would-be brides.

5. New ads.

Attorney General candidate Chess Bedsole has a new ad on cable in Birmingham and Huntsville markets. It touts his relationships with / support of President Trump and Attorney General Sessions.

A Super PAC called Conservative Leadership Alliance is up today in Montgomery and Dothan markets with a new ad in support of U.S. Rep. Martha Roby. It promotes her support of the Trump agenda and asks voters to “thank her” for supporting the tax cuts (That makes it an “issue” ad to comply with federal rules).

Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh has a new ad running on broadcast and cable in Birmingham/Anniston. It has the look and feel of a statewide campaign ad. Never too early, right?